


The Roads We Take

by Luftig



Series: Flufftober 2019 [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Attempt at Humor, F/M, Fluff, Flufftober 2019, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Pre-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Road Trips, Semblance of a Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-09 04:44:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20989061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luftig/pseuds/Luftig
Summary: Tony comes to Wanda with a mission. Along the way, she comes to terms with her feelings about a certain android.—Written for Flufftober 2019 - Prompt 6: Road Trips





	The Roads We Take

_ “Our vessel we carry you and me _

_ Now sits at the bottom _

_ The bottom of the sea _

_ It has fallen onto a natural reef _

_ Upon which new things have grown _

_ Things so wonderful _

_ That I have never known.” _

_ \- “Vessels” Tall Ships _

* * *

  
“Miss Maximoff?”

Wanda couldn’t help but let out a huffed sigh when the Irish artificial intelligence’s voice came over the intercom in her room. She had just sat down for what seemed like the first time that day. “Yes, FRIDAY?”

“Mr. Stark would like to speak with you in the kitchen before you retire for bed.”

“Why didn’t he say something before I got to my room?” she mumbled to herself, rubbing a hand down her face. “What does he want?”

“Something about a mission, I believe. I was told not to disclose any details.”

“Tell him I’ll be there in a minute,” Wanda said, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes. Most of her day was spent training and she wanted nothing more than to let her aching muscles rest. Of course, as she had learned, rest rarely seemed like an option for Avengers.

“Got it, miss.”

“Thanks, FRIDAY.” 

She got up from her seat on the bed, wincing when the muscles in her legs screamed in protest. The sooner she spoke with Tony, the sooner she could get back to her resting position. She made her way down her hallway and to the kitchen where Tony stood leaning against the counter. He was eating from something from a bag he held in hand.

“Tony?” 

“Hey, kid,” he began, flashing her a smile that almost seemed apologetic, “FRIDAY told you that I had a mission for you, I hope.”

“She did.”

“Yeah, so, I’m gonna need you and the Vision to head out to a new HYDRA base that’s popped up. Fury’s been on me about this one for a while, and frankly, I just haven’t had the time to deal with it. Or, y’know, to send someone to deal with it.”

Tony stepped closer, tilting the bag he held towards her. “Almond?”

She shot him a look and shook her head. He shrugged and dumped the remaining contents into his mouth.

“Anyway, it’s nothing too crazy, really. It’ll just be a scouting mission. There’s just one thing,” he paused, giving her a sheepish look, “you’ll have to drive there and it’s a bit of a ways away.”

“You know I can’t drive in the States, Tony, and I doubt that Vision can drive at all,” Wanda said. 

Tony shrugged again, “I’ll get Nat to go with you, then. I doubt she has anything else going on, aside from her usual spy stuff. Everyone else is out doing their own thing.”

“Why can’t we just fly out there?”

“Well, giant helicarriers with the _ Stark Industries _ logo slapped on the side aren’t exactly subtle. We don’t want HYDRA to know that we’ve found them out.”

“When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow morning,” he said, “you should be able to get there by tomorrow evening, but you’ll probably want to spend the night somewhere and scout the next morning. Then you’re free to head back here.” 

“Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Nope, don’t think so. I’ll fill Nat in later,” he smiled, “it’ll be fun, I promise. Think of it as a road trip featuring the Avengers.”

She let out a snort, “Alright. Good night, Tony.”

“Thanks, kid.” 

Wanda turned and went back to her room. Spending all day in a car was not ideal, but it beat having to train by a long shot and at least it would give her a few days to recover. The idea of being with Natasha and Vision only made the situation better. She had become good friends with Nat in her time at the compound and she had grown close to Vision as well, though no one else knew that. He often helped Wanda when she couldn’t sleep, providing comfort to her when she had nightmares. His collected composure calmed her.

It had become a regular occurrence. She liked the quiet conversations about anything and everything they sometimes had those nights. Though she wouldn’t admit it out loud, she sought him out most nights, simply because she enjoyed his presence. 

She liked him. A lot. But, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything to him. Vision was a complex being and still so new to the world. Whenever she worked up the courage to say something, he would say or do something disarmingly innocent, and the courage vanished. She did not want to rush him. So, she kept her feelings to herself, the small moments they shared would be enough for now.

* * *

They left the compound bright and early. Vision had insisted on carrying Wanda’s overnight bag down, despite her protests. Tony succeeded in convincing Nat to join because by the time they got to the car, she was already waiting by the passenger side, coffee in hand.

“Glad you could make it, kiddos,” Nat said with a grin, “I’ll be your chaperone today.”

“Come on, Nat,” Wanda laughed, “you know that I would drive if I had an American license.”

“Well, you’re stuck with me now,” she shook her head and walked around to the driver’s seat. “We should get going. I’d prefer to get this done today so we can get back sooner tomorrow.”

“Oh, and you’ll both have to sit in the back,” Nat said, smirking, “Stark gave us a bunch of gear that wasn’t going to fit in the trunk, so I put them in the front seat. Didn’t want to crowd whoever ended up in the back.”

Vision placed Wanda’s bag in the trunk and took his seat in the left hand passenger seat, while she took hers in the opposite one. The car lacked the usual middle seat, so they sat side by side. Nat shot her a wink, before turning back and starting the car. And they were off, while Wanda was left slightly bewildered at Nat’s strange behavior.

“Where are we going, exactly?” Wanda asked, “Tony never said last night.”

“A small town just outside of Pittsburgh,” Vision said, “in other words, we should reach our destination within the next six hours, excluding any delays we might experience.”

“Thanks, Vis.” 

“Of course.”

Nat nodded, glancing back at them in the rear view mirror. “Yeah, and it looks like we’ll need to stop about halfway there to get gas. Tony didn’t bother to refill.”

The car settled into a comfortable silence once they reached the interstate. Wanda looked over at Vision, who was staring out his window, the sight of the trees and cars blurring by capturing his attention. Her gaze shifted back to the front and she let her eyes fall closed. If anything, she could try to get the rest her body needed.

* * *

When she awoke, Wanda found herself leaning against something warm and that someone was gently shaking her shoulder. It didn’t take her long to realize that “something” she was leaned against was actually Vision, and he was the “someone” shaking her.

Her eyes flew open and she jolted off of him. “_ Sranje _… sorry, Vis, I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

“It’s quite alright, Wanda, there is no need to apologize,” he chuckled. “We’ve stopped at a gas station and Miss Romanov wanted to know if you needed anything from inside.”

“No, I’m good.” As soon as she replied, Nat’s head appeared by her window. If she hadn’t been used to the spy’s ability show up out of nowhere, she might’ve jumped.

“Sure you don’t need anything, sleepyhead?”

“I’m sure.”

“Alright then, I’ve gotta go pay,” Nat said, “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Wanda watched as she entered the building, the door chime clinking as the door closed. 

“Do you know how far away we are?” 

“I believe that we will arrive within the next two hours.”

“I really slept that long?” she asked, though it was directed more towards herself.

Vision gave her an indulgent nod of his head anyway.

“I’m sorry for using you as a pillow, I honestly thought I could stay upright.” 

“It’s perfectly okay, I know that you needed the sleep,” he said. After a moment a smile broke out on his face. “Besides, I did not mind being your pillow, as you put it. If you still want to sleep, then you are welcome to resume your previous position.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “Thank you, Vis. I might have to take you up on that offer at some point.”

The door chime clinked again, drawing their attention to Nat making her way back to the car. She regarded them with a raised eyebrow, before smiling to herself and starting the car again.

Instead of taking Vision up on his offer, Wanda found herself looking out the window for the rest of the ride with a small smile.

* * *

  
The sun had barely begun to set when Nat drove into an empty parking lot across from where the HYDRA base was said to be located. From the outside, the base looked like an abandoned warehouse, the structure dilapidating from years of neglect.

“Looks like this is our stop,” Nat said.

“This is it?” Wanda asked. Most of the HYDRA bases she had seen in the States had typically been nicer, resembling office buildings rather than the rundown warehouse that sat across from them. 

“Yeah, you’d think that HYDRA would pay for something a little more grandiose, but I guess not,” she said, digging through the bag sitting in the front seat. “FRIDAY, run a scan of the place and show me what you find.”

“On it, boss.”

After a moment, a holographic projection of the building appeared in front of the dashboard. Nat waved her hand across it and the projection morphed into a layout of the interior. The hologram extended, the interior separating into six different layers.

“There seems to be multiple underground floors, however, I am unable to get a clear reading of what they contain,” FRIDAY said, “they are using a signal jammer.”

Five vehicles approached the warehouse, a moving truck being escorted by two black SUV, while the other two followed close behind. 

“Nat, heads up.” Wanda motioned towards the entourage of vehicles.

She looked up, eyes narrowed, “FRIDAY, see what’s in the truck.”

“It appears to be a shipment of vibranium.”

“Who sent it?” 

“Ulysses Klaue,” the A.I. answered.

“He survived Ultron?” Wanda asked. The last she saw of him was when he was running away, desperately trying to escape, after Ultron lost his temper and severed his arm. She just assumed that he had died from blood loss.

“Klaue always finds a way out,” Nat said, “I’m more concerned about why HYDRA needs the vibranium.”

Men climbed out of the SUVs and opened up the back of the truck. Even from a distance, Wanda could see that there were multiple crates sitting in the trailer. The men unloaded the boxes, carrying them inside the warehouse. 

“Perhaps they are using it to build their infrastructure,” Vision suggested. He pointed at the last layer on the holographic map. “This floor seems to lead to an unfinished room.”

“That’s what HYDRA used in Sokovia, in Strucker’s testing rooms,” Wanda said quietly, unconsciously scratching at her palm with her fingernails. “He wanted to make sure that I couldn’t… destroy anything, before I learned how to control my abilities.”

Vision laid his hand on top of hers, stopping her from causing any damage to her hand. He gave her a sympathetic look before removing his hand and looking away. “You are saying that they are using the vibranium to create more of these rooms?”

“It’s a possibility.”

“And that means that HYDRA is experimenting on people again,” Nat exhaled, rubbing her temples. “Get that map back to Tony, FRIDAY. He’ll want to know everything as soon as possible.”

She turned to them. “We’ll need to keep an eye out for anymore activity coming in and out of that place. Just a short stakeout and then we can be on our way.”

* * *

“They only had two rooms available,” Nat said when she came back to the car, holding up two keys. She had left them waiting outside while she went to pay. “There’s only one bed in each.”

Wanda glanced over at Vision, who must have had the same reaction because he was already looking at her. Their eyes met for a split second where they came to a silent agreement. It would be just like those nights in the compound, nothing they weren’t used to. In fact, she welcomed it.

“I’m okay with sharing a room with Vis,” Wanda said, “unless he doesn’t want to.”

“That will be alright with me,” Vision nodded when Nat looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Alright then, sounds good to me,” Nat said, tossing him the key, “don’t stay up too late, kiddos.”

Wanda grabbed her bag out of the trunk and they made their way up to their shared hotel room. He held the door open for her as she sat the bag down on the floor and switched the light on. The room was small and like Nat said, there was only one bed with an armchair sitting in the corner by the window. Wanda slipped into the bathroom to get ready for bed, changing into an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts out from her bag.

When she came out, Vision had taken a seat in the chair.

“What are you doing?” 

He tilted his head at her. “What do you mean?”

“You know you don’t have to sit there.” She sat down on the bed and patted the spot next to her. “Come on, that chair doesn’t look comfortable at all.”

“I did not want to assume,” he said, “are you certain?”

“Of course, Vis,” Wanda paused, a smile forming on her lips. “Besides, I’d like to take you up on your offer from earlier. You make an excellent pillow.”

He laughed at that and rose from his seat, walking over and turning off the light on his way. “As you wish.”

The bed dipped as he laid down on the bed, propping himself up against the headboard. Wanda scooted herself close to him, molding into his side. His arm came underneath her in a loose half-hug.

“Is this alright?” he asked softly. The position they were in wasn’t unfamiliar. It was something that seemed to always end up happening at the compound. Even then, Vision, ever the gentleman, never failed to make sure that he wasn’t overstepping.

She nodded against him, wrapping her own arm around him. This is what she enjoyed, her heart singing in contentment, something she never thought she could feel again. “Good night, Vision.”

“Sleep well, Wanda.” 

* * *

Nat had a ghost of a smirk plastered on her face throughout breakfast.

They had stopped at a cozy, little diner before starting the drive back to New York. Wanda ordered pancakes, like Natasha, but opted for a cup of tea rather than coffee. Unlike her teammates, she always preferred tea. Vision simply sat there, not needing to eat, watching the scene unfold. 

“So, how long have you two been together?” Nat asked, casually taking a sip of her coffee. 

Wanda blinked at her, her fork frozen in the air, halfway to her mouth. “What?”

“You heard me.”

Wanda set her fork down and looked over at Vision, who gave her helpless look and an equally as helpless shrug. She noticed that his cheeks were a slightly darker shade of red than usual. When she turned back, Nat wore a smug look.

“We aren’t together, Nat.”

The spy rolled her eyes. “You might as well be,” she scoffed, “I’ve seen how you look at each other. You two are literally the embodiment of a cheap romance novel.”

“Oh, and don’t think I haven’t noticed you sneaking through the halls at night,” she added, looking at Wanda.

Vision cut in, “Wanda is telling the truth, Miss Romanoff. We are only friends.”

“I doubt Vision even likes me like that.” The words slipped out. She didn’t mean for them to, but they did. Heat rose to her cheeks.

His eyes widened for a split second before his gaze shifted downwards to the table.

“Oblivious.” Nat shook her head, clearly not buying it. “Deny it all you want, it’s ridiculously obvious. To me, at least. I doubt the others have picked up on it yet.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me,” she winked.

The conversation ended with a tone of finality. Natasha went back to sipping the rest of her coffee, while occasionally eyeing them with a smile. Vision stared out the window with his brow furrowed. 

As Wanda looked down at her plate once again, the gears in her mind started turning. The seating arrangement in the car. Nat leaving them alone and the looks she kept giving them. Suddenly, she realized that the hotel probably had more rooms than Nat had let on. 

* * *

Tony was already waiting for them inside when they arrived back at the compound. When they walked in, he was reclined in a chair, massaging his forehead, his disheveled appearance and dark circles under his eyes giving away the fact that he must not have slept. The map of the HYDRA base was displayed above the coffee table.

“You look awful,” Nat said as soon as she saw him.

He scowled. “I just got an earful from Eyepatch, give me a break.”

“And who’s fault was that?”

“Alright, at least seventy percent of the blame falls onto the other bad guys we’ve been fighting for the last few months,” Tony said. He paused, appearing to mull it over, “I’d be willing to go as far as eighty. I mean, how was I supposed to know that HYDRA was building an evil lair?”

“If you had listened to Fury weeks ago, you might’ve.”

Tony waved her off, walking over to where Wanda stood watching the scene. “Thanks for doing this, kid. I’ll need you to tell me more about Strucker’s base at some point, but that can wait until tomorrow. Maybe we can figure out some more similarities. Until then, you’re free to do whatever.”

Wanda nodded, walking to her room to settle in and unpack her overnight bag. What she didn’t expect was that a pensive looking Vision already stood by her door, as if he had been waiting for her. She noticed that he had slipped away from the group earlier, though she did not know where he went. 

Looking up, he gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “May I speak with you?” he asked.

“Is something wrong, Vis?”

“No, no, there's nothing wrong, really,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I just wanted to talk to you about a more personal matter.”

“A personal matter?”

“Perhaps it would be better to talk in private?” Vision glanced at her door.

“Oh. Right.” 

She slid open the door and motioned for him to enter. After closing the door, she took a seat on her bed, looking up at him expectantly.

“Wanda, you do know that I do not dislike you, right?” he asked her seriously as he sat down next to her on the edge of her bed.

She quirked an eyebrow at that. “Of course, Vis. I don’t dislike you either. Where is this coming from?”

“This morning. You told Miss Romanov that you doubted that I liked you.”

“Oh, no, I just meant that you only liked me as a friend,” she said. “Nothing more than that.”

The corners of his mouth downturned slightly. He stood and walked over to her window, looking out. 

“Vis, what’s wrong?”

The intensity in Vision’s eyes when he looked at her again surprised her. Even from where she sat, she could see his irises moving rapidly, showing that he was thinking quickly.

“What if I did?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I do not fully understand what I am feeling,” he said slowly, “and I did not think something like me could feel this way. But, I believe that I have developed stronger feelings for you. Ones that surpass friendship.”

She couldn’t help but stare at him with wide eyes, left speechless. A flood of emotions ran through her. Surprise. Elation. Relief. 

He looked down and sighed, the sound tinted with sadness. “I’m sorry, that was inappropriate. I have made you uncomfortable. I will go.” He moved toward the door. 

“Vision, wait,” she said, snapping out of her shock. He froze, his head turning to look at her. “What if I told you that I felt the same way?”

This time, Vision was the one who stared. She smiled softly at him. “I like you more than a friend should, Vis. I never said anything because I didn’t want to overwhelm you.”

“Overwhelm me?” 

“Yes,” she said as she stood, “it’s just that you’re still new to everything and I didn’t want to rush or force you into anything.”

“I doubt that you could ever do that, Wanda,” he said, moving closer so that he stood mere inches away. A slow smile overtook the worry that had clouded over him prior to their confessions. 

“Are you sure? I don’t want to take advantage of you.” The doubt still reared its head. Her eyes searched his for any sign of apprehension.

Vision tentatively reached out with one hand and gently cupped her face. “I am certain. I trust you, Wanda.”

Wanda’s breathing quickened at the sight of him looking at her with utmost reverence. His gaze shifted down to her lips and then back up to her eyes, as he stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“May I kiss you?” he asked softly. 

She nearly melted. No one had ever asked her that so politely before. “Yes.”

He leaned down slowly, giving her enough time to pull away if she wanted to. Instead, she met him halfway, her nose brushing against his as she pressed her lips to his. It was languid yet, enthusiastic, filled with passion. It was perfect. Her arms slid around his neck to deepen the kiss. Distantly, she wondered where Vision had learned to kiss, but she was too consumed to care.

When they pulled away, the bright, shy smile he gave her left her breathless. And she felt a true emotion that seemed to be absent in her for a long time. 

Happiness.

**Author's Note:**

> This was meant for Day 6 of Flufftober, but I ended up getting a few days behind. Let’s just call this fashionably late, yeah?
> 
> —
> 
> Feedback, thoughts, and criticism is all extremely appreciated!
> 
> Thanks for reading. Have a great day.


End file.
